LANXESS Sponsors World's Smallest Otter Species at Sydney's Taronga Zoo

LANXESS Partners with the Taronga Conservation Society Australia as a Champion Sponsor of the Small-clawed Otters at Taronga Zoo

Sydney – LANXESS Pty Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of German Specialty Chemicals Group LANXESS, has partnered with the Taronga Conservation Society Australia as a Champion Sponsor of the Small-clawed Otters. The sponsorship by LANXESS Pty Ltd will initially be for two years.

The Small-clawed Otter is the smallest otter species in the world, weighing less than 5 kilogram. They are commonly found in the waterways of South-East Asia in wetland systems such as freshwater swamps, meandering rivers, mangroves and tidal pools of Bangladesh, Burma, India, Southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Due to ongoing habitat loss, pollution and hunting in some areas, the Oriental Small-clawed Otter is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Taronga Zoo currently houses five Small-clawed Otters.

“Freshwater is a scarce commodity which represents only three percent of the world’s water reserves. Our sponsorship will go toward conserving the Small-clawed Otter’s freshwater habitat and educating the public on conserving water and our environment,” said Grant Wakefield, Managing Director of LANXESS Pty Ltd.

Wakefield added, “This initiative ties in with LANXESS’ focus on water as one of the central topics for 2010. LANXESS has been helping to clean and improve the use of water through our products and involvement in social projects, and we will increase these efforts.”

The Taronga Conservation Society Australia is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and the Zoo and Aquarium Association (previously ARAZPA). The Taronga Conservation Society Australia contributes to the conservation of biodiversity through a range of activities spanning various programs at Taronga and Western Plains Zoo and attracts 1.5 million visitors per annum. The zoos care for approximately 4000 animals from over 350 species through a wide range of strategic conservation research, breeding and conservation projects around the world. In 2009, Taronga Zoo was voted as Sydney’s No 1 attraction by Sydneysiders and interstate visitors in the New South Wales Chamber of Commerce Survey.

“We’re always pleased to partner with companies with a sound commitment to corporate responsibility and to explore opportunities for us to jointly raise public awareness of environmental and wildlife habitat issues,” Zoo Director Cameron Kerr said.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 5.06 billion in 2009 and currently around 14,300 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 43 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxess.sg.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 5.06 billion in 2009 and currently around 14,300 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 43 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxess.sg.

Maggie Tan
Corporate Communications
LANXESS Pte Ltd
9 Benoi Sector, Singapore 629844
Tel       (65) 6725 5888
Direct   (65) 6725 5821
Fax      (65) 6264 5329
Email   maggie.tan@lanxess.com

This release was published on openPR.